OK first off did you even notice the article is from the South China Morning Post? Its ridiculous Chinese propaganda. The Chinese are not going to attack our naval fleet and all of our Asian military bases for many reasons both political and economic. Our retaliation for that level of act of war would be devastating. That would be in the area of DEFCON 2 or 1
The South China Morning Post is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper.
And I do not agree with you that the United States would kill ten million women and children to retaliate for the loss of a military target with zero collateral damage.
Let's assume he developed these perspectives from CNN. OK, so where did CNN develop their material; what's their foundation? Ever consider that perhaps FR might have been prime mining ground to create cut-out figures of simplistic 'patriots'? And if that's the case, I would suggest this thread, and the kinds of replies found here would be excellent fodder to build up such caricatures.
What sense of power and/or entitlement is created when one views the US military as some kind of organization interested in protecting the common US citizen, as if they represent you and *your* freedom & liberty? Seems to me it's closer to the weird projection certain sports fans have wearing apparel and peppering conversation with 'us', as if they are somehow part of the (commercial) organization.
You and others should understand that the fed.gov does not represent you in any way, shape or form. You are a toiling, tax paying subject, long stripped of any constitutional provision. I don't know exactly when the republic died, but it was at least sometime before WW1.
These types of 'my team' threads are both sad and embarrassing. Imagine being a deep stater and just laughing at the rubes who don't have a clue.